Videos and stories of the life abroad – food, culture, travel & work

Nanjing, China: Traveling for 20 Dollars a Day – Ep 20 (VIDEO)

We visit Nanjing, China for the 20th episode of the Traveling for 20 Dollars a Day series! Join us as we eat tons of street food and hang out with Nanjing locals. Thanks to Raven, my local friend and guide, we learned some local Nanjing dialect and uncovered hidden gems throughout the city. Also, Curtis is back!

How we spent our day traveling in Nanjing:

We met at Zhongshan Wharf (中山码头) and took the ferry to Pukou District (the oldest district in Nanjing). After enjoying some outdoor shenanigans, we had breakfast at the legendary Daxi Wonton (大喜馄饨摊).

A huge bowl of huntun at a wonton spot that’s as old as me.

Nanjing local dialect: Do you want some spicy oil?

喂喂 (Nicole) also joined us on our Nanjing adventure!

Later, we enjoyed a feast at Nanjing Dapaidang (南京大排档) on Hunan Road. In the afternoon, we walked around Xuanwu Lake (玄武湖) and caught a glimpse of the Ming Great Wall(明城墙).

A Nanjing FEAST!!

Curtis munching on paper sugar that’s commonly wrapped around 糖葫芦, the candied fruit on a stick.

Next, we ventured over to Yihe Road(颐和路), then visited the Librairie Avant-Garde (先锋书店五台山店), one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world.

The Librairie Avant-Garde is listed as one of National Geographic’s 10 most beautiful libraries in the world (all the books are Chinese).

Let’s all take a moment to appreciate this dog wearing shoes, in a backpack.

In the evening, we had an ocean-sized bowl of pig skin noodles at a family noodle shop, then headed over to Laoyang Cigarette Booth(老杨烟摊) for some fun times. We sipped beers, laughed lots, and lived like young rebels without a cause.

Laoyang Cigarette booth, a place where lots of locals and foreigners go to sip a brew at the end of a long day.

Finally, we made our way to the hostel, where we had a bunk bed waiting for us. What an amazing day it was, and we did it all for less than $20USD (138RMB)!

Special thanks to the Monkey Support Team!! These folks help me produce my videos.

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5 Comments

To be honest, you should go straight to Deji Plaza in Xinjiekou because it will lessen homesickness. The area resembles the Gallerias in Houston and Dallas. Additionally, you may wish to focus on the Olympic Stadium area because one cannot dismiss San Antonio and its family atmosphere enveloping major points of competition. As for your goal of $20/day, it is so easy to do here that you can aim for 20 rmb/day and succeed!
Having established that, I must invite you to return!